Canada is getting tough on spammers, and one of the first big websites to be targeted is PlentyOfFish.com.

 

The country has made it mandatory for companies to get explicit permission from people before sending them spam. As well, companies must make unsubscribing to newsletters and updates easy. Penalties of up to $10 million are possible (though highly unlikely).

 

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has jurisdiction policing these cases, and looked into the activities of PlentyOfFish.com after receiving complaints from the public. At issue in this case: emails were being sent without a prominent unsubscribe option.

 

“This case in an important reminder to businesses that they need to review their unsubscribe mechanisms to ensure they are clearly and prominently set out and can be readily performed as required by the legislation,” CRTC spokesman Manon Bombardier said. 

 

PlentyOfFish.com was fined $48,000 following a four month investigation. It has since updated its unsubscribe option to comply with the legislation, and has promised to provide proper training to staff concerning corporate policies and procedures.

 

Plenty of Fish, which bills itself as the world's largest dating site, was founded in 2003. It caters to all sexualities, and is popular enough to bring in about $10 million in revenue per year. That said, $48,000 isn't going to put them out of business anytime soon.